Package binding machines



May 18, 1965 P. R. cooK PACKAGE BINDING MACHINES 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 13, 1962 y 1965 P. R. COOK 3,183,824

PACKAGE BINDING MACHINES Filed Nov. 13, 1962 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 .8

WIRE BLEED f; TRIP m: 1/5

i? 4/ 2/ 2d 24 a 75 May 18, 1965 P. R. COOK PACKAGE BINDING MACHINES 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 13, 1962 May 18, 1965 Filed Nov. 13, 1962 P. R. COOK PACKAGE BINDING MACHINES 6 Sheets-$heet 4 l9 Hg INVENTOR 03 1-73 e0) 65 0K ATTORNEYS y 1965 P. R. COOK 3,183,824

PACKAGE BINDING MACHINES Filed Nov. 13, 1962 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEYS y 1965 P. R. COOK 3,183,824

PACKAGE BINDING MACHINES Filed Nov. 13, 1962 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,183,824 PACKAGE BINDING CS Peter Roy Cook, Bcckenham, Kent, England, assignor' to Package Sealing Company (Export) Limited, Eaiing, London, a company of Great Britain Filed Nov. 13, 1962, Ser. No. 236,881 12 Olaims. (Oi. 100-4) This invention is concerned with machines for binding packages with flexible metal binding material and of the kind comprising means for feeding the material endwise, a guide which receives the material and directs it to form a loop with overlapping ends, means for tightening the loop around a package, and a connecting device for joining the ends of the tightened loop.

Moreover, the invention is concerned with a machine of the above kind in which at least some of the machines components are powered or controlled by pneumatic means which operate in an automatic sequence including the loop-forming operation. This raises the problem of sensing when the free end of the material reaches or approaches its final position during the loopforming operation, so that the automatic se uence can be stopped or continued.

According to the present invention the machine comprises a controlling air circuit which includes an air duct leading to a bleed port, the arrangement being such that as the free end of the material approaches its final position during the loop-forming operation it efiects a change in flow conditions at the bleed port, and the machine also comprises means responsive to the ensuing pressure change in the air duct for at least terminating the feeding action of the feed means.

The pressure change in the air duct may be a pressure rise or a pressure drop, according to whether the bleed port is opened or closed by the free end of the material.

The bleed port may be controlled by its own obturator which is positioned so as to be operated by the free end of the material as the latter approaches its final position. Movement of the obturator in response to actuation by the free end of the material may either open or close the bleed port.

Preferably, the bleed port is normally open and is closed by the free end of the material which itself acts as the obturator. One way of achieving this result is to provide a guide structure which contains the bleed port and which receives the free end of the material as the latter approaches its final position.

The guide structure preferably consists of two parts one of which is movable to open and close it, and the meeting faces of the two parts are formed with confronting grooves one of which, when the guide structure is closed, conducts the material into the aforesaid guide and the other of which contains the bleed port and receives the free end of the material as the latter approaches its final position.

Preferably the connecting device is a twister pinion and the binding material is flattened wire and in this case the guide structure consists of a stationary upper part formed with the groove containing the bleed port and a movable lower port formed with the other groove. The guide structure is preferably opened and closed by an air cylinder and means are provided in the air circuit for causing this air cylinder to open the guide structure at the end of the twisting action of the twister pinion and for closing it after the ejection of the tie.

The feeding means preferably comprises a driving roller, a bodily movable pressure roller and an air cylinder controlled by a pressure-responsive valve for bringing the pressure roller into wire-feeding relationship with the driving roller.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described 3,183,824 Patented May 18, 1965 by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of the machine;

FIGURE 2 is a section in the binding plane;

FIGURE 3 is an enlargement of a part of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a diagram of the air circuit;

FIGURE 5 is a section on the line 55 of FIG. 1;

FIGURE 6 is a similar section showing the guide ring in the open position;

FIGURES 7 and 8 show a plan of a modified construction which includes an obturator;

FIGURES 9 and 10 show a plan of a further construction which includes an obturator for obtaining a pressure drop instead of a pressure rise.

The machine comprises a foundation plate 10 on which the chief working components of the machine are mounted. These components are, a guide ring 11, which surrounds an aperture 12 in the foundation plate, a twister pinion gear box 13, a reversible feed 14 and an extratension device 15. Other components are, a supply reel 17, which carries a coil of flattened wire and a slack take-up device 18.

The guide ring has a wire-guiding groove 11a in the surface next to the foundation plate. The guide ring is closed and opened, that is to say moved into and out of contact with the foundation plate, by four air cylinders A which are fixed to the back of the foundation plate. The piston rods 1% of these air cylinders pass through holes in the foundation plate and are connected to lugs 19 on the guide ring.

The reversible feed 14 comprises two driving rollers 66 and 67 on two shafts which are geared together and mounted on a pivoted plate 68. One of the shafts is driven continuously through a friction clutch, by an electric motor 16. Above the driving rollers are two pressure rollers 70 and 71 which are mounted in a tiltable holder 72. The holder is tilted to bring either pressure roller into a wire-feeding position by the forward feed cylinder H or by the reverse feed cylinder G. The wire is conducted from the reversible feed to the twister pinion gear box by a grooved bar 75.

The extra-tension device 15 comprises a lever 76 which is pivoted to the foundation plate. The lever is swung by the extra-tension cylinder C. The lever is in two parts which are pivoted together, and the upper part carries the fixed jaw 80 and the moving jaw 81 of a gripper which is operated by the action of a roller on the lower part. Extension of the piston rod of cylinder C first swings the lower part of the lever with respect to the upper part, which action causes roller 83 to ride over a cam surface 82 on moving jaw 81 and close the extra tension gripper. Continued extension of the piston rod of cylinder C then swings the lever as a whole to pull the Wire The twister pinion gear box is topped by a nose plate 20. The twister pinion 20a is mounted just beneath the front edge of the nose plate on bored pivots 21, and is flanked by notched ejection bars 41 which slide backwards and forwards beneath the nose plate. The twister pinion is controlled by a twist cylinder D and an overtwist return cylinder B. The twist cylinder D drives the twister pinion on the upstroke only and rotates the twister pinion through three whole revolutions to apply the twist and a further fraction of a revolution to apply an overtwist. The overtwist return cylinder B returns the twister pinion through the angle of ovetwist. The mechanism for effecting these movements is not described because it forms no part of the present invention.

On the near side of the twister pinion, that is to say the side closer to the reversible feed, there is a holding gripper which consists of a body 47 and a head 49. The holding gripper is mounted for up-and-down movement drop.

, 53. The tube is raised and lowered by a cam 53a which is followed by a roller 54 on the bottom of the tube. The holding gripper is raised and lowered by a lever 51 which is pivoted inside the box and extends forwards through slots in the tube, the grippers body and the front of the gear box to the outside, where it is connected by a connecting rod 52 to the piston rod of air cylinder E. The head of the a holding gripper is penetrated by a throughbore 50, which conducts the wire. The upper surface of the head co-operates with the nose plate in gripping the free end limb of the loop.

On the far side of the twister pinion there is a pseudogripper, so called, which consists of a body 57 and a head 58. The body is mounted for up-and-down movement in the box and is adapted to'be raised and lowered by a lever 55 which is pivoted in the box and extends forward through slots in the pseudo-grippers body and the front of the box to the outside, where it is connected by a connecting rod 69 to the piston rod of air cylinder F. The

head of the pseudo-gripper and the nose plate together form a two-part guide structure which can be opened and closed. The top surface of the pseudo-grippers head is crossed by a groove 61 which is open-ended and extends in the direction of wire feed. The underside of the nose plate is crossed by a similar groove 62 which is blocked at the far side and by a stop 65. The throughbore in the head of the holding gripper, the gap between the head of the holding gripper and the nose plate, the notches 41a in the upper edges of the ejection bars 41, the bores through the pivots 21, the slot in the twister pinion and the grooves in the pseudo-gripper and the nose plate constitute the flow path of the wire through the twister pinion gear box. During forward feed the holding gripper is open and the free end of the wire emerges from the bore 50 in the head of the holding gripper and passes In this machine all the operations are carried out in an automatic sequence.

The air circuit is shown as it is at the beginning of a cycle. It includes three mechanically operated valves T, U and V and also a number of air-operated valves which are enclosed in a box 99. Compressed air is conducted from a source 100 through a filter 101, a pressure regulator 102 and a lubricator 103 to an emergency stop valve 104 which, in the position illustrated, conducts air to all the valve air inlets marked with a circle. The air outlets of these valves are marked with arrows. The circuit includes a manually-operated starting valve 105 and/or an automatic starting valve'106 which is operated by packages".

' On depressing the start button, a signal is sent from ring a first time through the ejection bars and the twister pinion and into the groove 61 in the head of the pseudogripper, which at this time is closed. This groove 61 conducts the free end of the wire into the guide ring. After passing round the guide ring the free end re-enters the gear box through the gap between the head of the holding gripper and thenose plate and then passes a second time through the twister pinion. The upper groove 62 is positioned to receive the free end of the wire as it slides forward over the supply limb of the loop. The free end limb of the loop and the supply limb of the loop are thus in face-to-face relationship, one above the other, in the twister pinion. The flattened wire is a close sliding fit in the two grooves 61 and 62. Thus the two strands of wire in the pseudo-gripper are located against relative rotation without actually being gripped. The pseudogripper limits the twist on'the far side of the twister pinion, as does the holding gripper on the near side.

There is an air duct 63 in the nose plate. This air duct opens into the upper groove 62 through a bleed port 63a. The operation of the air circuit is such that air is being discharged through this bleed port as the free end of the wire approaches its final position. The free end of the wire covers the bleed port and stops the discharge of air. The ensuing rise of pressurein the air duct is transmitted through a relay valve to a pilot valve which controls the last steps in the sequence of operations. One of these steps is termination of the forward feed. Another is the upward movementof the holding gripper.

cylinder valve A through pressure drop valve Z and the starting valve to pilot valve L. Pilot valve L reverses and sends its own air through valve A overtwist return cylinder valve B and package-clamping cylinder valve 1,. These valves are reversed and thus'the ring is opened, the piston rod of the overtwistreturn cylinder is retracted and the package-clamping cylinder l anchors the package by means of cross bar 92. When the ring is fully open, pressure drop valve Z reverses and sends its own air through pilot valve P to reverse-feed cylinder valve G which reverses against its spring. Thus, the reverse-feed pressure roller '71 comes down and the loop is contracted onto the package. Reverse feed continues until the tension in the loop equals the pull of the reverse feed rollers, whereupon these rollers climb the Wire and shift the plate 68 on which they are mounted. This movement operates the trip valve V which sends its own air to pilot valve P. Pilot valve P reverses and diverts the signal from pressure drop valve Z, to extra-tension cylinder valve C It also exhausts reverse-feed cylinder valve 6., which is reset by its spring. This stops the reverse feed.

The extra-tension cylinder valve C now reversed, sends air of regulated pressure to the extra-tension cylinder C, which applies extra-tension to the loop round the package. Valve C also sends air through an adjustable flow regulator to the twist cylinder valve D Valve D reverses and this reverses the air supply to twist cylinder D, which performs its upstroke. The upstroke rotates the twister pinion to apply a twist and an overtwist to the overlapping In the embodiment described the pressure signal is a pressure rise and the free end of the wire itself acts as the obturator of the bleed port. However the bleed, port may be'controlled by its'own obturator which is operated by the free end of the wire. For example the bleed port may becontrolled by an obturatonsuch as a lever, which is dislodged by the free end 'of the wire, so as .to open the bleed port. "In this case the signal would be'a pressure ends of the loop. 7

At the top of the upstroke of twist cylinder D, trip valve T is operated. This sends a signal to pilot valve M which reverses and diverts the signal from valve L to pilot valveN and cylinder valves J and D It also removes the signal to cylinder valve B which is reset by its spring. Thus, simultaneously, cylinder 3 releases the package, the twist cylinder D commences its downstroke and overtwist return cylinder B returns the twister pinion through the angle of overtwist. The air supplied to pilot valve N passes to pseudo-gripper cylinder valve P and to holding gripper cylinder valve E These valves reverse and the pseudo-gripper and the holding gripper go down.

It would 7 appear impossible for the resetting signal from Valve M to reset'twist cylinder valve D because the reversing signal from cylinder valve C has not been removed. However valve D is controlled by two pistons operating in separate chambers and aircan be applied to both sides of each piston. The circuit is such that the resetting signal cancels the reversing signal on one of these pistons as well as applying its pressureto the other.

Towards the end of its downstroke, after ejection of the tie, the twist cylinder operates trip valve U whichsends 'its own air to pilot valve N. This valve reverses and exhausts air from cylinder valve F thus sending the pseudo- :gripper up. Valve N also sends air to reset cylinder valve A thus closing thering. 'It also applieseir to pressure drop'valve Z which cannot pass through until the Z and the air passes through to pressure drop valve Z Z is reset when the pseudo-gripper is fully up and the air passes through to cylinder valve H Cylinder valve H reverses and sends its own air to forward feed cylinder H. The wire then begins to pass round the ring. At this moment air is bleeding through the bleed port 63 in the nose plate and also through a bleed port 108 which is controlled by an obturator 91 associated with the slack take-up device 18. When the forward feed comes into operation it first takes up the slack wire between itself and the supply reel. When this slack has been removed the slack take-up device is raised to close the bleed port 108. The pressure builds up in the bleed line and operates relay valve R which send its own air to cylinder valve K Cylinder valve K reverses with the result that the piston rod of cylinder K is extended. This motion separates two levers one of which carries a pawl and the other a brake pad. The brake pad comes off and the pawl kicks the reel to rotate it and pay off wire.

As shown in FIG. 1 the reel 17 carries a disc 107, the edge of which is engaged by a driving pawl 108 and a brake pad 109. The driving pawl is pivoted on driving lever 110 and the brake pad on brake lever 111. The driving lever is pivoted at one end to the shaft of the reel and at the other end to the rod of the cylinder K. The brake lever is pivoted at one end to the cylinder K and at the other end to a fixed pin which is eccentric to the shaft of the reel. Consequently, the are of movement of the brake pad 109 intersects the edge of the disc. The pivot of the driving pawl is spaced from the edge of the disc by a distance less than the length of the pawls tooth. Consequently, when the levers are separated, the brake pad comes off the disc and the pawls tooth is jammed between its pivot and the edge of the disc by friction and so drives the disc. When the levers are moved towards one another, the pawl trails along the edge of the disc and the brake pad re-engages the edge of the disc.

When the Wire is fully fed round the ring it covers the bleed port 63 in the nose plate. Pressure builds up in the bleed line and operates relay valve S, which sends a signal to reset pilot valve L. This valve sends air to reset cylinder valves E and H thus disengaging the forward feed pressure roller 70 to terminate the forward feed and raising the holding gripper to anchor the free end limb of the wire. The cylinder valve E sends a signal to reset cylinder valve K This results in the retraction of the piston rod of cylinder K and the application of the brake pad to the reel. This ends the cycle.

FIGS. 7 to 10 show a modified construction of the in vention in which the bleed port is located in a block attached to the top of box 13 on the near side of the twister pinion. The block 130 has a through bore 131 which receives a spring seat 132 and a piston 133. The bore is intersected by the air duct 63. The piston is biased away from the air duct by a spring 134 into engagement with a lever 135, which is pivoted in a recess in the front face of the block. This recess is opposite the wire guide ring 11 which has a notch 136 to receive the tip of the lever. The free end of the wire engages the lever near the end of its travel through the groove 11a in the ring and thereby causes the piston to shut-off the bleed port 63a. FIGS. 9 and 10 show another construction in which the piston normally shuts off the bleed port and has a groove 137 which is brought into registry with the bleed port when the wire engages the lever. The distal end 138 of the air duct leads to atmosphere. The time delay of the air circuit is, of course, suflicient to allow the free end of the material to reach its final position before the forward feed is stopped.

An advantage of the construction shown in FIGS. 7 to 10 is that-it enables a choice of pressure rise or pressure drop with a minimum of modification.

I claim:

1. For binding packages with a flexible metal binding material, a machine comprising:

means for feeding said material endwise;

a guide for receiving a free end of thematerial being fed and forming it in a loop with overlapping ends;

means for tightening said loop around a package;

a connecting device for joining the endsof the tightened loop;

pneumatic means for operating components of the machine in an automatic sequence which includes the loop-forming operation;

a controlling air circuit which includes an air duct and a bleed port to which the air duct leads;

a guide structure which the bleed port opens into and which is positioned to receive the free end of the material as it approaches its final position;

whereby the free end of the material itself acts as an obturator for said bleed port, and means in said air circuit responsive to pressure changes in said air duct for effecting a succeeding step in the sequence of operations.

2. A machine according to claim 1 wherein said guide structure comprises two parts of which one is movable and the meeting faces of which are formed with confronting grooves, one of said grooves being positioned when said guide structure is closed to conduct the material into the loop-forming guide and the other groove having a surface which contains said bleed port.

3. A machine according to claim 2 wherein said connecting device is a twister pinion and the binding material is flattened wire, and wherein said guide structure comprises a stationary upper part containing the groove with the bleed port and a movable lower part containing the other groove.

4. A machine according to claim 2 which further includes an air cylinder for opening and closing said guide structure and means in the controlling air circuit for causing said air cylinder to open the guide structure at the end of the twister action of the twister pinion and to close said guide structure after ejection of the tie.

5. For binding packages with flexible wire, a machine comprising:

forward and reverse feed means for feeding said wire endwise;

a guide for receiving a free end of the Wire during forward feed and directing it to form a loop with overlapping ends;

a horizontal nose plate for supporting packages;

a twister pinion mounted on said nose plate below the level of the upper surface thereof;

a holding gripper mounted between the forward and reverse feed means and said twister pinion, said holding gripper having a through passage for the wire passing from said forward feed means to said twister pinion said holding gripper co-operating with said nose plate to grip an adjacent portion of said loop;

a guide structure on the other side of said twister pinion from said holding gripper, said guide structure comprising two parts one of which is movable to open and close said guide structure;

confronting grooves formed in the mating faces of said parts, one of said grooves being adapted to conduct the wire into the guide and the other groove being adapted to receive the free end of the wire as it approaches its final position;

an air duct terminating in a bleed port in said other groove;

said bleed port being positioned so as to be obturated by the free end of the wire;

means responsive to a pressure change in said air duct due to obturation of said bleed port for terminating the feeding action of the said feed means;

and air cylinders for powering and controlling components of the machine, said air cylinders operating in an automatic sequence.

6. A machine according to claim 5 wherein the Wire is flattened and said guide structure comprises a portion of said nose plate and a vertically movable member, and

"7 wherein said air duct is in said nose plate and terminates in a bleed port in the groove of said nose plate.

7. A machine according to claim 6 and further including pivoted levers for raising and lowering said holding;

gripper and said vertically movable member, and air cylinders for oscillating said levers.

8. A machine according to claim 7 wherein said forward and reverse feed means comprises:

two driving rollers geared together for rotation in opposite directions; 7

two pressure rollers;

a tilting holder in which said pres-sure rollers are mounted;

and two air cylinders for tilting said holder to bring either pressure roller into wire-feeding relationship with its driving roller. 7

9. For binding packages with a flexible metal binding material a machine comprising:

means for feeding said material endwise;

a guide which receives a free end of the material being fed and directs it to form a loop around a package;

means for tightening the loop;

a connecting device for joining the ends of the tightened pneumatic means for operating components of the machine in an automatic sequence which includes the loop-forming operation;

a controlling air circuit which includes an air duct and a bleed port to which the air duct leads;

a member having a guide surface adjacent the final portion of the path of said free end, said guide surface including said bleed port, said bleed port being positioned so as to be closed by said free end to effect a pressure change in said duct;

and means in said air circuit responsive to a pressure change in said air duct for eflecting a succeeding step in the sequence of operations.

10. For binding packages with a flexible metal binding material, a machine comprising: a

means for feeding said material endwise;

a guide which receives a free end of the material being fed and directs it to form a loop around a package;

means for tightening the loop;

a connecting device for joining the ends of the tightened loop;

pneumatic means for operating components of the machine in an automatic sequence which includes the loop forming operation;

a controlling air circuit which includes an air duct and :1 member having a bleed port to which the air duct eads;

an obturtator controlling said bleed port;

means for operating said obturator, said obturator-operating means comprising a movable member which extends into the path of the free end of the binding material so as to be displaceable by said free end to operate said obturator; and

means in said air circuit responsive to a pressure change in said air duct following operating of said obturator for eifecting a succeeding step in the sequence of operations.

11. A machine according to claim 10 in which said member is formed with a bore into which said bleed port opens;

a piston in said bore controlling said bleed port; and in which said obturator operating means comprises a lever. for operating said piston, said lever projecting into the path of said free end of the material near the final position thereof. 12. A machine according to claim 11 in which said piston normally closes said bleed port, said piston having a groove which is registrable with said bleed port to connect said bleed port to atmosphere.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 4.5 WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner. 

1. FOR A BINDING PACKAGES WITH A FLEXIBLE METAL BINDING MATERIAL, A MACHINE COMPRISING: MEANS FOR FEEDING SAID MATERIAL ENDWISE; A GUIDE FOR RECEIVING A FREE END OF THE MATERIAL BEING FED AND FORMING IT IN A LOOP WITH OVERLAPPING ENDS; MEANS FOR TIGHTENING SAID LOOP AROUND A PACKAGE; A CONNECTING DEVICE FOR JOINING THE ENDS OF THE TIGHTENED LOOP; PNEUMATIC MEANS FOR OPERATING COMPONENTS OF THE MACHINE IN AN AUTOMATIC SEQUENCE WHICH INCLUDES THE LOOP-FORMING OPERATION; A CONTROLLING AIR CIRCUIT WHICH INCLUDES AN AIR DUCT AND A BLEED PORT TO WHICH THE AIR DUCT LEADS; A GUIDE STRUCTURE WHICH THE BLEED PORT OPENS INTO AND WHICH IS POSITIONED TO RECEIVE THE FREE END OF THE MATERIAL AS IT APPROACHES ITS FINAL POSITION; WHEREBY THE FREE END OF THE MATERIAL ITSELF ACTS AS AN OBTURATOR FOR SAID BLEED PORT, AND MEANS IN SAID AIR CIRCUIT RESPONSIVE TO PRESSURE CHANGES IN SAID AIR DUCT FOR EFFECTING A SUCCEEDING STEP IN THE SEQUENCE OF OPERATIONS. 